Fans advised to plan ahead and stay local for LFC celebration parade

Important travel information is now live as anticipation builds ahead of the UEFA Champions League final this weekend when Liverpool face Real Madrid, followed by a victory parade on Sunday 29 May.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets to watch the victory parade that will take place on Sunday 29 May to celebrate the club’s successes this season, which (so far!) include winning the League Cup and FA Cup.

Fans and families are being reminded to think about where they will watch the open top bus parade and how they will get there and back. The nine-mile route offers a huge number of opportunities to see the players and coaching staff and we would encourage fans to consider staying local.

Whilst Merseytravel and transport operators are providing the best possible levels of service, passengers are reminded that Sunday services will be in operation and there is still less rail and bus capacity than when Liverpool FC last held a victory parade in 2019.

People are strongly advised to stay local if they can and walk or cycle if possible. If you are planning to use public transport, please plan your journeys in advance and allow more time for your journey.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:

“We know that the fans will of course want to enjoy Liverpool’s success this season and celebrate in style, just like they did in 2019. We’re expecting hundreds of thousands to take to the streets again this year and watch the parade and we want everyone to enjoy themselves safely.

“The Liverpool City Region has a proud reputation for hosting and delivering successful large-scale events and we need everyone to play their part. Our services are going to be extremely busy so we’re asking people to think about their travel plans.

“If you live near to or can get to the parade route outside of the city centre then ideally watch from there. If you do need public transport, then please help us keep people moving by following our advice and planning your journeys.”

The key advice shown below can be found on the Merseytravel website at https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/customer-information/lfc-parade/

Key advice

Plan your journey in advance – To ensure you can get where you’re going to go and home again, whether you are travelling to watch the parade or for other reasons e.g. going to work

Stay local if you can – If you live along or close to the parade route, stay local and walk or cycle. Even consider travelling to locations along the route as it may be easier to do so. This may give you the best vantage point. Decide which part of the route you want to wait at and arrive in plenty of time. It also means you can avoid a busy transport network and road closures along the route in and around the city centre.

If you’re using public transport:

• Check before you travel – Sunday timetables are in place which means less services usually operate across our bus and rail networks. There will be some changes to services e.g. rail station closures.
• Consider your options – The transport network is expected to be very busy before and after the parade finishes. Consider staggering your travel home times and have a contingency plan should you need it.

• Leave more time for your journeys – Services will be much busier, there may be queues and you may not make the service you planned to. Bus services may take longer due to rolling road closures.
• Buy travel tickets in advance and online if you can – this will speed up your journey and help you avoid queues on the day
• Don’t aim for the last train home – especially if you are travelling in and out of Liverpool City Centre as services will be extremely busy. Demand is likely to exceed capacity – make sure you plan for a few different options.
• Be patient – large crowds are expected, and it is impossible to predict how long it will take the team bus to travel along the route. This will also impact on when road closures will be lifted, and affected bus routes can get back to normal.
• Be kind to staff – staff will be working hard to keep bus, rail, Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels services running throughout and to provide help and advice.

Summary of public transport information

For the latest information about services and timetables please check direct with the operator before and on your day of travel.

Bus

Bus services in and out of the city centre and those that cross the parade route be disrupted by road closures and diversions. Cross River buses will operating as normal.

Liverpool 1 and Queen Square bus stations may have to temporarily close as the parade passes.

Rail

Merseyrail will have an amended timetable in place, with 30-minute services running on all lines.

James St and Lime Street (low-level) stations will be closed all day, as will Bromborough Rake, Green Lane, Capenhurst. These closures will remain in place whether a parade takes place or not for planning purposes.

For passengers travelling on Merseyrail services into Liverpool city centre, Northern line trains will call at Moorfields only and Wirral line trains will call at Liverpool Central only.

Lime Street mainline station will be incredibly busy this weekend and passengers will see crowd control queuing measures in place. This will ensure that Network Rail and train operators can keep passengers moving safely.

Northern services will be limited, please check timetables before travelling. There will be no TransPennine Express services due to planned industrial action.

Mersey Tunnels

As a consequence of the event and in the interests of public safety, the Birkenhead to Liverpool lanes of the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel will be temporarily closed between 12 and 9pm, meaning traffic will not be able to travel into Liverpool City Centre using Queensway. Traffic travelling towards Wirral can use Queensway as normal throughout the day. The time of this restriction being lifted will be monitored and could change on the day.

The Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel will operate as normal throughout the event but is expected to be very busy. Please allow more time for your journey.

Mersey Ferries

The Mersey Ferries are a good cross river option. A half hourly shuttle service will run from 1pm to 9pm between Woodside and Liverpool. Check www.merseyferries.co.uk for more details.